Court tosses teacher's suit over religious banners

The Associated Press

A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit by a San Diego high school teacher who was ordered to remove large banners containing patriotic excerpts referring to God.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's decision that ruled the Poway Unified School District violated Bradley Johnson's free speech rights when it ordered him to remove the banners from his classroom.

The unanimous three-judge panel said the Westview High School math teacher's display of such phrases as "In God We Trust" and "God Shed His Grace On Thee" had little to do with teaching calculus, so they weren't protected by the same First Amendment rights Johnson would have espousing such views outside school.

The appeals court ordered Johnson to pay the school district's legal costs.